13 Ways To Deliciously Upgrade Store-Bought Pickles

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While pickles may be a divisive topic, there is no doubt that these preserved vegetables have been integral to the survival of humankind for centuries. According to the New York Food Museum, there is evidence for the process of pickling in archaeological findings from Mesopotamia dating back as far as 2400 B.C., with the earliest known commercially sold pickled cucumbers dating back to the 1600s.

Though some store-bought pickle brands are made from higher quality ingredients than others, even these can leave much to be desired in the flavor and texture department. If you have ever wondered how you might upgrade your favorite store-bought pickle, you have come to the right place. As a professional chef, my sole purpose in life has long been to take already delicious ingredients and turn them into something even more mouthwatering.

From ways of re-pickling them and infusing them with added flavor to stuffing, wrapping, and grilling them, there are many ways a humble pickle can be turned into something revolutionary. All it takes is a few extra steps and a little creativity. And, while these ideas are developed for pickled cucumbers, many of them can easily be applied to any other pickled vegetable. Read on for the lip puckering scoop on upgrading store-bought pickles.

One of the easiest and most delicious ways to upgrade a store-bought pickle if you enjoy spicy food is to add some heat. This can be accomplished in a number of different ways. Simply augment the pickling brine with dried peppers, sliced fresh peppers, like serranos or habañeros, hot sauce, like sriracha or the Korean fermented gochujang, or some wasabi or horseradish.

Before deciding which type of heat to add to your pickles, consider the type of spicy you enjoy. The heat you experience from chili peppers and hot sauce stems from capsaicin, which interacts with pain receptors on your tongue and can produce a lingering burning sensation. By contrast, the type of spiciness associated with horseradish and wasabi comes from allyl isothiocyanate, a chemical compound that interacts with both gustatory and olfactory senses, creating a potent bite that tends to dissipate more rapidly.

The easiest way to incorporate these spicy elements into pickles is to drain the brine from a 32-ounce jar and toss in roughly ½ tablespoon of dried spice, hot sauce, wasabi, or horseradish or 2-3 sliced, fresh peppers, depending on your heat tolerance. Once the spicy ingredient is added, refill the jar with the reserved brine and allow the pickles to marinate for up to a week for best results.

Visit any diner or small town eatery in the Midwest, where I live, and you will likely find fried pickles on the appetizer menu. While this may sound unusual to some folks, the unique combination of the tangy pickles along with the crunchy batter create a complex and satisfying flavor and texture on the tongue that cannot be beat.

Though you can use either pickle spears or coin-like slices, the latter produces a more evenly balanced ratio of pickle-to-batter that I find somewhat more appealing. Virtually any kind of store-bought pickle can be battered and fried, though I tend to prefer whole dill pickles, like the ones from Vlasic. Slicing them on your own rather than purchasing them pre-sliced enables you to create a slightly thicker piece that will provide more of that pickle goodness per bite. 

There are a number of batter options for pickles, ranging from a classic beer batter to cornmeal to panko breadcrumbs. You can also use more unconventional breading ingredients, like crushed crackers or cereal, but the key is to make sure you pat the pickles dry so that whatever batter you use will adhere to them. If you want to fry them without the mess of a ton of oil, try popping pickles in the air fryer for off the charts crunch. And, whatever you do, don't forget the dipping sauce!

Searching for a delicious appetizer or an alternative to bread for a satisfying, low-carb lunch? Store-bought pickles are the ingredient you have been looking for. Indeed, pickles can be completely transformed by stuffing them with any number of different items, including cheese, tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad, or even a savory ground meat mixture. These can be served as-is or tossed into the oven or air fryer to crisp up for a firmer texture and more al dente bite.

The method is the same regardless of what you stuff into your pickles. Though you can start with pickle halves, I find that whole pickles have a more sturdy texture for stuffing. Whole pickles can be hollowed out in a couple of ways. If the pickles are large enough, a small apple corer can be used to hollow out the pickle before slicing it in half. Otherwise, I like to cut the pickle in half and use a small melon baller to scoop out its interior to create space for the filling.

As with frying, it can help to pat the pickles dry before stuffing them to prevent the brine from making the whole dish soggy, especially if you intend to bake or air fry them. If baking or air frying them, consider topping them with something crunchy to create a more satisfying mouthfeel, such as panko breadcrumbs, crushed nuts, or bacon bits.

You've heard of pigs in a blanket, but did you know that pickles in a blanket can be an equally delicious snack or appetizer? Pickles can be wrapped in any number of ingredients, including bacon, prosciutto, deli meat, puff pastry, wonton wrappers, or even cheese, for a viral recipe that is sure to satisfy even the staunchest pickle hater.

The type of pickle you wrap can vary, depending on what you are looking for. Whole pickles can be wrapped and sliced for adorable bite-sized portions that are perfect for a party platter. For a slightly larger mouthful, use pickle spears, gherkins, or consider cutting whole pickles into quarters lengthwise.

Again, before wrapping pickles, make sure you pat them dry to eliminate any excess brine, especially if you plan to use an encasement that will need to be baked or otherwise cooked. Speaking of baking, if you are using pre-made puff pastry or crescent roll dough, you will want to brush an egg wash, milk, melted butter, or sour cream onto the dough to help it get extra crisp and golden brown.

Most commercially-produced pickles are brined in a combination of vinegar, salt, water, and occasionally sugar or other flavorings. While some producers may use alternative vinegars, white vinegar is typically the acid of choice because of its neutral flavor. That said, this type of vinegar can be rather harsh, despite its relatively mild taste. For this reason you may want to re-pickle your store-bought pickles before consuming them.

This is a relatively easy process that involves discarding the pickle brine from the jar and replacing it with a brine made from a more distinctive-flavored vinegar. Among my favorites are apple cider, red or white wine, champagne, malt, rice, or an herb-infused variety of vinegar. The only types of vinegar I would steer away from are those that are very dark in color, such as balsamic or Chinese black vinegar, and those that are fruit-flavored.

To re-pickle store-bought pickles, combine one cup of the vinegar of your choice with one cup of water and 1 ½ tablespoons of kosher salt. Bring these to a boil and allow them to simmer for a few minutes until the salt is dissolved. Allow this mixture to cool and transfer the pickles and brine to a clean, airtight container. Allow the re-pickled pickles to marinate in the refrigerator for a week for best flavor.

Perhaps you have seen recipes for amping up your favorite cocktails with a splash of leftover pickle juice. While this is all the rage right now, there is another way in which alcohol and pickles can be married that will completely transform them. Consider replacing some of the brine in a container of store-bought pickles with whiskey, vodka, tequila, or any booze of your choice to help mellow out their tanginess and give them a potentially mind-altering kick.

When selecting alcohol for pairing with pickles, I typically avoid sweet varieties, like liquors or sweet wines. I generally select spirits or white wine that are on the dry side with more savory flavor notes, like smoky, bitter, floral, and nutty elements, which will complement the brininess of the pickles.

But, beware, this process works similarly to sangria. Just as the fruit in sangria absorbs the alcohol, so will the pickles, which means, a little goes a long way with these. They are the ideal ingredient for a kicked up Cuban sandwich, a festive tuna salad, or as a garnish for the ultimate spicy bloody mary. Just keep in mind that they may not be suitable for all audiences. Even when cooked, they may retain some alcohol.

If you didn't see this one coming, you haven't been paying attention to the latest food trends. Ranch seasoning packets are having a renaissance of sorts, making their way onto practically everything, except maybe your salad. Among the things ranch seasoning really belongs on is that store-bought jar of pickles sitting in your refrigerator.

Ranch seasoning is made up of a number of zesty ingredients that lend some punch to pickles, including dried herbs and spices, dehydrated aromatics, like garlic and onions, and buttermilk powder. The herbs, spices, and aromatics can lend a much needed boost of flavor, while the buttermilk powder can help to tame some of the sourness imparted by the vinegar in the pickle brine.

Just keep in mind that ranch seasoning is often quite salty. Adding it to already salty pickle brine may render the pickles too salty to eat. It can help to dilute some of the brine with water to help cut some of the salt content. Also, you will want to let the ranch seasoning mingle with the pickles for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator before eating them to allow for the spice blend to dissolve and permeate the pickled cucumbers.

If you find store-bought pickles to be a little too acidic for your taste, there is a way to tone down that astringency to help make them more palatable. Simply incorporate some honey, agave, pure maple syrup, brown sugar, or molasses into the jar to mellow out the tang and add some complexity to the pickles.

While there isn't a specific recipe to follow, the type of sweetener you use may determine how much you add. Some sweeteners have a more intense flavor than others. Molasses and brown sugar, for example, are nutty and almost smoky, which means a little goes a long way. Agave, on the other hand, is typically sweeter than other sweeteners, so you can use less for similar outcomes. And, different types of honey and maple syrup have subtler or more bold tastes, which further add nuance to pickles.

If you are feeling especially playful, you might want to try the Southern tradition of adding Kool-Aid to pickles. The process is pretty simple. Prepare the Kool-Aid of your choice according to the packaging directions and replace the brine in a jar of store-bought pickles with it. Allow the pickles to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours to absorb the flavor and color of this sweet beverage. These are sure to delight and shock your friends and family.

Though there are plenty of bougie brands of store-bought pickles to choose from, most of the heavy hitters are quite simple in terms of seasonings compared with homemade varieties. Most homemade pickle recipes include a vast array of dried herbs and spices, such as whole peppercorns, mustard seed, coriander seed, dill seed, allspice berries, red chili flakes, and crushed bay leaves. These infuse the pickled vegetables with delicious flavor as they brine in the vinegar, water, and salt mixture.

Store-bought pickles can certainly be augmented with any of these classic spices and herbs, though they aren't the only options. A wide array of whole and dried herbs and spices can be added to jazz up pickles, including some characteristically sweeter ones, like whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, and star anise. Additionally, seasoning blends, like Old Bay, Cajun or Creole seasoning, za'atar, everything bagel, and a Moroccan-inspired ras el hanout can all be used to enhance boring store-bought pickles.

My rule of thumb is to add roughly ½ tablespoon of seasoning to the brine in a 32-ounce pickle jar and allow this to sit for at least a week before eating the pickles to give the spices and herbs a chance to permeate them. You can adjust accordingly if you want more flavor, but keep in mind that the longer the pickles marinate in the seasonings, the more intensely-flavored they will become.

One of the keys to amplifying the flavor of store-bought pickles is to augment the brine with some umami-rich ingredients. Store-bought pickles can be quite acidic and even bitter, unless they are sweet ones. The savoriness of umami-rich ingredients can help to tame these astringent elements and round out their flavor, while giving the pickles a more satiating flavor.

Some great umami-rich options for pickles include miso, soy, Worcestershire, fish sauce, tomato paste, mushroom powder, and MSG. This last one may be a surprise to those who have heard that MSG can be hard for certain individuals to digest, but it is actually a well-recognized and generally safe to use ingredient to amp up the umami of a number of recipes, assuming you aren't one of those who is sensitive to it.

Again, the key is moderation. Most of these ingredients are salty in addition to having a savory, robust flavor, so use them sparingly, especially with store-bought pickles, which already contain a hefty amount of sodium. A half tablespoon, or less, can transform store-bought pickles in a week or so into something with an intense aroma and flavor.

If you are a fan of a vinaigrette on a salad, this hack won't surprise you. A great way to add a kiss of olfactory, gustatory, and even textural interest into store-bought pickles is to infuse them with a drizzle of a flavored oil. Great examples of these include truffle, sesame, herb, chili, and smoked oils.

While you can now purchase many of these at the grocery store, consider making your own herb-infused oil at home. It's quite simple and can be a game changer for many of your recipes. One tip to keep in mind with these oils is that they are highly perishable, so they should always be stored in the refrigerator after they have been opened to prevent the proliferation of Clostridium botulinum spores.

As you may expect, oil and vinegar do not mix, so you may need to give the bottle a good shake periodically to ensure all of the pickles in the jar are being evenly exposed to the oil. Alternatively, you can toss the pickles in the oil just before serving them after removing them from the pickling brine to give them an even more intense flavor.

Often when chefs talk about aromatics, it is in the context of making a soup or stew. Aromatics are the herbs and vegetables, like garlic and onions, that give a recipe a base flavor that helps to produce layers and complexity in the final dish. This concept can easily be expanded to help bring new life and nuance to store-bought pickles, with some caveats.

Since aromatics are often heated in fat to release their flavor, it may seem like adding them into cold pickles won't really do anything. This is hardly the case. You can add bright flavor to store-bought pickles by tossing these aromatics into the brining liquid, which will draw out the volatile compounds within these ingredients and pass them along to the pickles. The key is to chop the aromatics finely enough to break down their cell walls, which will release their flavor and aroma.

It will take a couple of days for the pickles to absorb the flavors of the aromatics added to the jar, and, because the pickling brine is a natural preservative, you won't really need to worry about them spoiling. That said, it is always a good idea to keep an eye on the jar for any signs of spoilage, such as mold, murky brine, a foul odor, mushy pickles, or a swollen lid.

Heat can transform virtually anything, but the distinctive smokiness of the grill can work wonders for ingredients needing a little boost of flavor and texture, like store-bought pickles. Indeed, charring pickles will lend a whole new world of complexity to these tart and tangy cucumbers in just a few minutes. It just takes a little quick prep.

The best pickles for this purpose will be whole, halved, or spear varieties. Sliced pickles or pickle chips are too delicate and can easily fall through the grates of the grill. Before grilling pickles, pat them dry thoroughly with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. This will jumpstart the commencement of the Maillard reaction, which will give the pickles that characteristic toasty, caramelized flavor and texture. You can also toss them in some oil to prevent them from sticking to the grill and to guarantee they develop sharp grill marks.

For added flavor, hit the freshly grilled, hot pickles with any seasoning of your choice before serving them. Grilled pickles may be just the thing you've been looking for to transform your hamburgers, hot dogs, or that humble tuna salad recipe into something more gourmet.